For 12 months, Covid-19 has disrupted Christian work in schools. Nevertheless, your donations mean we’re continuing to help mission practitioners make the most of every opportunity. After all, this is a time when students and teachers alike really need to hear God’s message of love and hope.
‘I think teachers have been amazingly resourceful in adapting to the constant changes in education,’ says SU Mission Enabler Geoff Brown. ‘Sometimes they’ve been teaching face to face, sometimes online. Sometimes they’ve had to do both – a long day in the classroom followed by an evening preparing online lessons for pupils having to study at home.
‘The minority of mission practitioners that have been able to keep working with schools have had to be very flexible too. So has SU – we’ve digitised our existing face-to-face schools resources so they can be used online as well as face to face.
‘The good news is, as opportunities for churches and mission partners to work in schools increase in the coming months, we’re ready! We’ve got resources that can be used whatever the education setting, and the experience to help mission practitioners use them.’
What kind of challenges might those mission practitioners be faced with – how have children and young people fared with all the changes?
Geoff says, ‘Many more than usual are feeling anxious. When young people have been working online at home, they’ve been isolated from their peers. And if their parents have to go out to work, those young people can be on their own for long periods of time.
"One student said it’s like having to live in two different worlds"
‘When students are in school, they have to stay in the same classroom and have teachers come to them for different lessons. They miss the days when they were the ones changing rooms – they miss the mental downtime it gave them. And pupils may also be frustrated because they can spend all day with friends in school but not see them outside of school. One student said it’s like having to live in two different worlds.’
So what advice would Geoff give to those churches and local mission partners that want to reboot their schools programmes? ‘Focus on rebuilding relationships because they’re even more precious now! Recognise that teachers may welcome pastoral care as much as the pupils. And above all, share God’s love and care – it’s incredibly powerful in these times.
Check out these great Scripture Union school resources!
They could be just what you need for face-to-face or online schools-based activities this summer term.
In secondary schools: Shine is a programme developed by SU and a range of partners. It enables Christian secondary school pupils to share Jesus with their friends and helps them to explore the difference that faith makes to everyday life. Find out more at www.su.org.uk/shine – why not signpost the young Christians you know to the website so they can join in the programme with others across the country? And look out in the autumn for brand-new Shine resources on the theme of ‘Influencers’.
In primary schools: It’s Your Move offers reassurance and tips to young people moving from primary to secondary school. Eleven-year-old Sam did an It’s Your Move workshop last year. He says it was great to share his worries and concerns with others who felt the same, to think through solutions together, and to learn how God can help.
Explore the whole range of resources and order what you need at su.org.uk/IYM
Young people and mental health: While it’s not a school-specific resource, you may find our Mental Health Suite useful to help those young people you know who might be facing anxiety and loneliness, so widespread during the pandemic. Find out more and order at su.org.uk/mentalhealth
"We’ve digitised our existing face-to-face schools resources so they can be used online as well as face to face"
Geoff Brown
Mission Enabler
Hi, as a Mission Enabler I am keen to work with churches as they connect with children and young people and help them to explore and grow in faith in Jesus. As an ex-teacher, schools work is particularly close to my heart and I am passionate about equipping young people to live for God at school and to be confident followers of Jesus in their places of study. I’m only able to do this work thanks to the generosity of a small but generous group of supporters. ’
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This story featured in the Spring 2021 edition of our supporter magazine, Connecting You.
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- Connecting You